Violence Jack
Violence Jack is a manga series created by Go Nagai that is well known for its intense violence and the use of previous series characters into an elaborate story. In number of volumes, it is Dynamic Productions longest series at 45 volumes spanning roughly twenty years in serialization starting on July 22, 1973. A series of OVAs were also produced. It is often believed to be a direct sequel to the original Devilman manga series, but this is a misconception, as Devilman Lady is in fact the actual sequel, whereas Violence Jack is set in an alternate timeline, taking place in an alternate continuity following the events of Devilman. Summary When a massive earthquake broke loose on Kanto, it tore apart Tokyo and created a large tsunami that broke the Tokyo peninsula off from Honshu. The event was known as the Kanto Hell Quake. Ever since, the island once known as Tokyo became a lawless area with most of the land in control of the dominating Slum King. Amid this chaos is a mysterious gigantic stranger with amnesia. The man named Violence Jack was called this for the large jack knife he carries and the violence that happens around him. Throughout the series, Jack appears to help the weaker and better willed sides in a battle between humanism, social infrastructure, and ethics for an unknown purpose. At the end of the manga, it is revealed that the world is a remade version of Earth after it was destroyed in the battle against Satan. Tokyo was remade as a prison and punishment ground for Satan who regained his memories and power after being reduced to a human dog. Jack himself is later revealed to be a reborn Devilman who was gathering an army of humans to fight back against Satan's rise and assumes his original form to fight. Unlike their last battle, Devilman emerges victorious destroying Satan and Zennon. Connection to Devilman While Violence Jack references several of Go Nagai's most notable series such as Mazinger, Cutey Honey, and Guerrilla High; it is tied closest to Devilman. The earliest reference was the use of Miki Makimura and Ryo Asuka/Satan being the Slum King's mute dog slaves, the Slum King transforms into Zennon and Asuka into Satan at the end as does Jack into Devilman/Amon. An earlier arc has Jack battle various foes based on the demons from the original series such as Jinmen, Aleda and Sirene etc. The entire scenario and environment of the series takes place into a desolate wasteland walled off from the rest of the world much like the ruined Earth, there are even a few references to Demon Lord Dante such as a biker named Dante and his army of bikers called Hell's Wind. It has been stated by Nagai when he was at a convention that Violence Jack was not canon to anything other than itself (this was several years before the sequels). Later on a definite sequel Devilman Lady was released. It's also claimed that he stated that he was not a fan of the Violence Jack OVA series. Shin Violence Jack In the remake series, Shin Violence Jack, there is also a scenario with ties to Devilman with Akira Fudo becoming the Skull King and Amon becoming Jack. There was also a different Miki Makimura from the one seen previously in Jack, who is split in two forms. One a head without its proper body, and the other a body without its proper head - an allusion to her fate in the original Devilman. Jinmen and Sirene appear as well, as their original demon selves rather than similarly designed characters. Lyamon and Bau, two demon siblings from an episode of the TV series also appear, and Sara, one of the manga's heroes, turns out to be a Devilman, serving as the host for Sirene. At one point Jack mentions an angel "that sided with demons", a clear reference to Satan. The wreckage of Tokyo, which Jack declares to be hell, functions on some of the same rules that hell does in Devilman Lady and Cerberus makes multiple appearances. Near the end the reader is shown a single image of Zennon as Jack looks upon the similar-looking central part of the Skull Castle. Category:Other Series Category:Dynamic Productions